Understanding How the 99.5% Act Affects You

dollar bill zoomed in

On March 25, 2021, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced the “For the 99.5 Percent Act” (referred to in this blog as the “99.5% Act”), a piece of legislation that would change federal estate and gift taxes. Here are the highlights you need to know:

  • Reduces the federal estate tax exemption from $11.7 million to $3.5 million
  • Reduces the gift tax exemption from $11.7 million to $1 million
  • Tax rates increase for gift, estate, and generation-skipping tax (GST) at a progressive rate

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Post-Election Tax Strategies

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Now that tax season is wrapping up, we can all take a deep breath. With the pandemic looming over all of us in 2020, change has become the only thing we can consistently count on these days.

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The Importance of a Business Succession Plan

planting seeds

It’s often difficult for us to think of the future as individuals, and even harder to think about it in terms of our larger counterparts, such as the businesses that we own and run. This is particularly true if it involves planning for the worst possible outcomes in our future, such as unexpected retirement, potential disability, or untimely death. When you build your own business and watch it flourish from the ground up, it can be disheartening to think of the possibilities of its disbandment or transfer to a new owner.

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All About White-Collar Crimes

man in cuffs

When a person hears the word “crime,” images of bank robberies or people being mugged in dark alleys easily come to mind. But violent crime isn’t the only form of crime. Crimes committed by business and government professionals with the intention of gaining a financial advantage, property, or services, without using violent means, is known … Read moreAll About White-Collar Crimes

New Year’s Resolution Estate Planning!

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It’s the new year and with that comes new goals! Usually, people vow to get in better shape or to save money for something big. However, we tend to start off strong and have no follow-through. Creating an estate plan is a lot like getting into better shape. We all know we should do it, but most of us never make it to the finish line because the task seems daunting.

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Changes to Estate Planning Due to Proposition 19

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In November’s recent election, California passed Proposition 19 (Prop 19), which has changed two important California property tax assessments that could have a lasting impact on your estate planning.

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No Clawbacks. The Time to Act is Now!

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In 2017, a window was opened. And at the end of 2025, that window will close. This breath of fresh air was granted by the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which increased the Basic Exclusion Amount (BEA) from $5 million to a new base of $10 million (indexed for inflation after 2011) for gifts and inheritances bestowed from 2017 through the end of 2025. Though there are many motivations for lifetime gift-giving, it is often a strategy to maximize the value of wealth and inheritance while minimizing its subjectivity to taxation as much as possible. An estate tax is technically calculated as a combined value of lifetime gifting and taxable estate, but lifetime gifting also has the added benefit of removing the appreciation of the amount gifted from the value of the estate, so the incremental amount is not subject to the estate’s overall taxation. And of course, there are some gifts that are exempt from taxation altogether, like annual exclusion gifts of $15,000 or less per recipient and direct payments of medical expenses or school tuition. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has opened a window of gifting for those looking at federal estate taxes, but this legislation has an expiration date of January 1, 2026, at which time the $10 million bases will revert back to the $5 million base and the ability to take advantage of the increased estate and gift tax exclusions will cease. We are currently in an important opening of opportunity that should not be missed.

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Landlords: Preparing for the Months Ahead

man calculating

As moratoriums in most areas of California have been extended and ongoing worry about evictions persist, landlords and tenants may find themselves in a predicament. As state government jurisdictions continue to protect tenants, the question then arises of what landlords can and should do about rent payments once moratoriums are lifted.

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